Chinese premier Wen Jiabao delivers a speech at a national conference on vocational education held in Beijing Nov.7, 2005. (Xinhua photo)

BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- China is implementing the largest program of vocational education in the world, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in a speech published Sunday.

    Wen's speech, delivered at a national conference on vocational education held in Beijing last Monday, was published on Sunday.

    "China will expand the enrollment of secondary vocational education to the same size as that of the regular high school education in the next five years," Wen said. "By the end of 2010, the enrollment of higher vocational education should account for at least half of the entire enrollment of institutions of higher learning."

    The country will give equal attention to vocational education as well as regular elementary and higher education, he said.

    "The State Council decided to earmark 10 billion yuan (about 1.23 billion US dollars) in the coming five years to support vocational education," Wen said, explaining that this will be included in the 11th Five-year Program for Economic and Social Development (2006-2010).

    The investment will be used to build vocational training bases,improve education facilities and support students from poor families to receive vocational education, Wen said.

    Wen also encouraged all sectors of society to develop vocational education, saying that businesses are major agents of vocational education.

    The premier said the following factors call for expanding vocational education in China.

    China's workforce is facing with two problems, low quality and lacking of skilled technicians, who only account for one third of the total.

    "The low quality personnel and scarcity of high quality technicians have greatly affected China's innovation, resulting inlow-end products, high energy consumption and frequent industrial accidents," he said.

    Chinese cities turn out a labor force of 24 million each year, and a large surplus labor force in rural areas has to move out, making it necessary to develop vocational education.

    Due to limited educational resources, each year more than 10 million junior middle school graduates cannot enter senior high schools, several million high school graduates cannot enter colleges, and about one million college graduates cannot find jobsin time.

    Last Wednesday, China's State Council, the central government,issued a decision on vigorously boosting vocational education. Enditem